Police: Waterbury convicted felon with loaded gun resisted arrest

WARNING: Some viewers may find the content in this story disturbing.

WATERBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — Waterbury police arrested a convicted felon while investigating a report of a man loading a firearm in public and causing a disturbance Thursday afternoon.

Officers assigned to the Waterbury Police Department’s Crime Prevention Unit were patrolling downtown around 3:30 p.m. when they spotted a man who matched the caller’s description of the person causing a disturbance near West Main and Leavenworth streets.

Police identified the man as 37-year-old James Thomas, of Waterbury, who is also a suspect in two recent shots fired incidents in the city. Police said arrest warrants are pending for these shots-fired incidents.

*James Thomas (Waterbury Police Department)*

Waterbury Police Chief Fernando Spagnola said when officers approached Thomas, he immediately became uncooperative and physically combative, refused verbal commands to show his hands, and resisted officers’ efforts to take him into custody.

Police said Thomas kept trying to put his hands in his waistband while resisting the officers. When they took him into custody, they found a loaded Smith and Wesson 9mm pistol tucked in his waistband, police said.

The Waterbury Police Department released body camera footage of the arrest on Friday afternoon. Watch it in the video below.

WARNING: Some viewers may find the content in this story disturbing.

Police also found a high-capacity magazine containing 11 rounds of ammunition and another high-capacity magazine containing 30 rounds of ammunition. Thomas also had 1,458 bags of heroin and fentanyl. In addition, Thomas was also found with 140 grams of a mix containing raw heroin and fentanyl.

Thomas was treated at the scene for minor facial abrasions and was taken to Saint Mary’s Hospital. He was treated and released Thursday night.

Spagnolo said one of the involved officers was also injured while trying to take Thomas into custody. He has since been treated and released from Saint Mary’s Hospital, police said. The officer will receive additional outpatient treatment for his injury, according to police.

Police said Thomas did not have a valid Connecticut pistol permit and was previously convicted of third-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and threatening in the second degree in 2019. Thomas served one year in jail on the above charges.

For Thursday’s incident, Thomas is charged with assault on a police officer, second-degree breach of peace, interfering with police, criminal possession of a pistol, criminal possession of a firearm, illegal sale/transfer of a pistol, possession of a large-capacity magazine, and possession of an ounce or more of heroin.